Alyce Elaine Riley, 77

Our beautiful Alyce Elaine Riley, 77, passed away April 12, 2020.

She was born in Glasgow in 1942.

Wearing a stunning blue dress, she met the love of her life at a Valentine’s Day Air Force dance. She and Mason Riley married in 1961 and truly lived a real-life love story.

She had two children, Mason II and Mishelle. Alyce was the best grandma to five lucky children, Vanesha (Riley) Hoerner, Brandon Johnson, Nichole (Riley) Johnson, Shay Riley, Ciara Johnson and their spouses. She was also blessed with six great-grandkids: Alona, Tres and Alina Johnson; Beauen and Radshaw Riley; and Everly Johnson. They all were recipients of her knitting and crocheting handiwork. She also donated her creations to many local charities.

Momma loved having the whole family together or just enjoying the solidarity of her garden, always leaving strawberries to pick when the grandkids came to visit!

She became an accomplished cosmetologist in a time when women didn’t work outside the home. When not working she and her family loved to go on numerous backpacking trips. They hiked every river on the west side of Glacier National Park and shared multiple two-week vacations hiking through the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Climbing up and over Columbia Mountain or having lunch at McGinnis Creek were her favorites hikes later on.

Her words of wisdom and sharp mind for finance, which she shared with her family, will be sorely missed. She had grown up being a farm hand, so we all benefited from her culinary abilities and her constant quest for the right way to run a home and cook.

There will be a memorial to follow.

She is survived by her husband, children and grandkids as well as her siblings, Luella Lucarra, Brian Orth and Donna Borgan.